Diversity & Inclusion in Insurance Award winners revealed
Tara Foley, CEO of Axa UK & Ireland, has been named Diversity & Inclusion Leader of the Year at Insurance Post’s Diversity & Inclusion in Insurance Awards 2025.
Foley received the top prize in recognition of her work championing women’s health, neurodiversity and social mobility across the insurer.
Comedian Bella Hull hosted Post’s Awards at London’s Underglobe on Tuesday (18 November), where hundreds of insurance professionals gathered to celebrate individuals and teams driving real progress across inclusion, accessibility and fair representation.
Judges said the volume and quality of entries received this year demonstrated “how far the industry has travelled on cultural change”.
Among the big winners to take home more than one trophy on the night was QBE, Covéa Insurance, Zurich, Intact Insurance, plus Munich Re.
Asha Vesudevan of Munich Re was crowned D&I Champion for driving culture-changing programmes across the business, while the company also won the D&I Staff Empowerment Award for embedding a company-wide DEI culture in just three years.
Shortlist and all the winners revealed
D&I Ally of the Year
Shortlisted: Keith Davies, Admiral
Huw Evans, KPMG UK
Lois Ireson, Brit Insurance
Gareth Scott, Acorn Group
Winner: Ian Rayner, Intact Insurance
Highly Commended: Bari Irving-Phillips, Everywhen
D&I Rising Star of the Year
Shortlisted: Bamishe Alao, WTW
Zeba Jahangir, AXA UK
Anna Walthew, Everywhen
Winner: Abi Kaur-Bennett, QBE
Highly Commended: Anu Bankole, Direct Line/Aviva
D&I Staff Empowerment Award
Shortlisted: Acorn Insurance
Association of British Insurers
Covéa Insurance
International General Insurance (IGI)
Tedaisy Insurance Group
Winner: Munich Re
Highly Commended: Axis Capital Holdings and Tokio Marine HCC International
Disability Inclusion Advocate of the Year
Shortlisted: Danielle Francis, Brit
Victoria Franz, Axa UK
Winner: Katherine Patel, esure Group
D&I Network of the Year
Shortlisted: Munich Re – DEI Council
Winner: Direct Line – Bright Futures
Highly Commended: Covéa Insurance – Gender Balance Group
Employee Resource Group of the Year
Shortlisted: Admiral – Ethnicity and Culture Working Group
Ageas – LGBTQ+ Colleague Resource Group
Aviva – South Asian Professionals Network (A.S.A.P.)
DWF – Race & Ethnicity Network
Everywhen – Menopause Support Group
Intact Insurance – Armed Forces ERG
Winner: QBE – Circle
Highly Commended: Covéa Insurance – Inspiring Colour Network
Gender Equality Champion of the Year
Shortlisted: Aaida Abu Jaber, IGI
Jewels Chamberlain, DWF
Jennie Keating, AED Adjusting
Dr Claire Muselman, WorkersCompensation.com
Alvyda Tamuleviciene, NFU Mutual
Winner: Ruth Poulten, Intact Insurance
Highly Commended: Kim Alcock, McLarens
Inclusive Insurance Product/Service of the Year
Winner: Covéa – SME Insurance Education
Internal D&I Initiative of the Year
Shortlisted: Covéa Insurance – Menopause Support
Lloyd’s
McLarens – LIVES Programme
Kennedys – Reciprocal Mentoring Scheme
Munich Re – Menopause Awareness Month
Royal London – Career Confidence Programme
Winner: Zurich
Highly Commended: Axa UK
LGBTQ+ Champion of the Year
Shortlisted: George Grammer-Taylor, Clyde & Co
Jordan Harris, Petgevity
Julia Redgate, QBE
Amy Robinson, Acorn Group
Harriet Rowley, Covéa Insurance
Armando Soto, Munich Re
Winner: Maurice Rose, MS Amlin
Highly Commended: George Grammer-Taylor, Clyde & Co
Mental Health Advocate of the Year
Shortlisted: Karen Cowell, Aviva
Crawford & Company
Kelly Stratham, Brit Insurance
Winner: John Gibson, Kennedys
Neurodiversity Inclusivity Champion of the Year
Shortlisted: Eleanor Jeffrey, Royal London
Sinéad Mallinson, DWF
Martha Phillips, Axa UK
Winner: Karl Collier & Warren Poyner, NFU Mutual
Highly Commended: Scott McKinnell, Kennedys
Race Equality Champion of the Year
Shortlisted: Ophelia Anderson, CNA Hardy
Tope Akindoyin, Beazley
Kelly Nwanko, Miller Insurance Services
Bhavisha Tailor, Intact Insurance
Winner: Ken Kittoe, Axa UK
Highly Commended: Anna Dilku, Aviva and Virginia Zarin, Kennedys
Social Mobility Champion of the Year
Shortlisted: Jacqueline Girow, LIIBA
Chloe Jaffer, Kennedys
Winner: Susan Keryk & Nagawa Kabanda, Tokio Marine HCC International
D&I Collaboration Award
Shortlisted: Acorn Insurance & Wirral Sensory Service
Covéa Insurance & Calderdale College
DWF’s ‘In conversation with…’
Intact Insurance, Spark, Youth Fed & UK Youth Liverpool Archive Team Initiative
Lloyd’s Inclusive Futures
QBE & Gain
Winner: QBE & Gain
Highly Commended: LIIBA & upReach and Zurich Insurance
Progressive D&I Recruitment Award
Shortlisted: DWF – Early Careers Team
Winner: Covéa Insurance
Highly Commended: Aon and Zurich Insurance
D&I Leader Award Winner: Tara Foley, Axa UK
D&I Champion Award
Shortlisted: Oliver Cooper, WTW
Joy Ferneyhough, Brit Insurance
Peter Hamilton, Zurich Insurance
Vicky Search, NFU Mutual
Asha Vesudevan, Munich Re
Dorret Groot Wassink, Admiral
Winner: Asha Vesudevan, Munich Re
Highly Commended: Paul Haylor-Smith, AmTrust and Jo Robinson, Royal London
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